Business and Corporate Communications Commons^™

Contingency Theory Of Strategic Conflict Management: Unearthing Factors That Influence Ethical Elocution In Crisis Communication, Augustine Pang, Yan Jin, Glen T. Cameron

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Despite the advances made offering a viable perspective in strategic conflict management, the contingency theory has not addressed a prevailing question: How can the theory inform organizations to communicate ethically with its publics, especially during crisis? The only guidance the theory offers is through its proscriptive variables, which prohibit either communication or more accommodative communication. However, given the exigency and dynamism of many situations along the life cycle of an issue, non-communicating may not be an alternative offered to organizations. This study aims to unearth a new set of factors called ethical variables that influence the organization’s stance by reviewing …

New Media: A New Medium In Escalating Crises?, Joanna Ann Mei Siah, Namrata Bansal, Augustine Pang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Purpose– The use of new media in crisis is a double‐edged sword. On one hand, its pivotal role in online monitoring and dissemination of information can help an organisation manage crisis. On the other hand, it can also create organisational crisis. The purpose of this paper is to examine how new media can be used to escalate crisis.Design/methodology/approach– Four crises were examined: the 2008 Edison Chen sex scandal in Hong Kong; and in the USA, New York Taco Bell‐KFC rats infestation crisis in 2007; JetBlue Airways crisis in 2007, and the Kryptonite locks crisis in 2004.Findings– The very characteristics that …

Contingency Theory Of Strategic Conflict Management: Directions For The Practice Of Crisis Communication From A Decade Of Theory Development, Discovery And Dialogue, Augustine Pang, Yan Jin, Glen. T. Cameron

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The dilemma facing crisis scholars could not be more paradoxical: How does one explain and predict the outcome of a phenomenon – characteristics which Chaffee and Berger (1987) argued to be the foundation of a theory – that is so contextual-dependent, where the twists and turns of unfolding events often frus-trate the natural ebb of what one could reasonably surmise as logical trajectory? Admittedly, the bête noire for many in the field is that our powers of deductive reasoning, often woven from threads of foraged facts surrounding the unpredictability of crises, are often tragically compromised and encumbered by myriad complex-ities …

Mediating The Media: A Journalist-Centric Model In Managing The Media By Corporate Communication Practitioners, Augustine Pang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Purpose: The prevailing challenge faced by practitioners is to conduct effective media relations, especially with the proliferation of diverse media platforms both online and offline. For such a predominant and critical function, a systematic approach needs to be offered. This paper aims to address these issues. Design/methodology/approach: A new model is developed, drawing on insights from corporate communications and journalism literature. Findings: This model identifies two sets of influences that practitioners should seek to understand. The internal influences include journalist mindsets, journalist routines, and newsroom routines. The external influences include extra-media forces and media ideology. Research limitations/implications: At this juncture, …

Managing A Nation's Image During Crisis: A Study Of The Chinese Government's Image Repair Efforts In The “Made In China” Controversy, Peijuan Cai, Lee Pei Ting, Augustine Pang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The image of a nation is crucial in the conduct of international relations (Wang, J. (2006). Managing national reputation and international relations in the global era: Public diplomacy revisited. Public Relations Review, 32, 91–96). A favorable image plays a critical role in asserting one's influence (Benoit, W. L., & Brinson, S. L. (1994). AT&T: “Apologies are not enough”. Communication Quarterly, 42, 75–88; Wang, J. (2006). Managing national reputation and international relations in the global era: Public diplomacy revisited. Public Relations Review, 32, 91–96). Often, strategic communication tools like public relations and media diplomacy are used to enhance a nation's image …

Crisis Leadership: When Should The Ceo Step Up?, Marela Lucero, Alywin Teng Kwang Tan, Augustine Pang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Purpose – One explicit leadership role the chief executive officer (CEO) can play during crisis is to assume the role of being the organization's spokesperson. What remains unclear is at what point of the crisis should the CEO step up and how does that impact crisis communication? The purpose of this paper is to examine this question. Design/methodology/approach – The meta-analysis method is used to combine different data in various studies of one topic into one comprehensive study. More than 30 crises are meta-analyzed. Findings – The CEO needs to step up to revise earlier statements or when the integrity …

Second Stage Development Of The Integrated Crisis Mapping (Icm) Model In Crisis Communication: Organizational Strategies For Crises That Require High And Low Organizational Engagements, Augustine Pang, Yan Jin, Glen T. Cameron

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Extending current theories in crisis communication, the authors have developed a moresystemic approach to understanding the role of emotions. The Integrated Crisis Mapping (ICM)model is based on a public-based, emotion-driven perspective where different crises aremapped on two continua, the organization’s engagement in the crisis and primary public’scoping strategy. This second-stage testing, representing the fourth in the series, found that ontop of discovering anxiety as a possible default emotion that publics feel in crises in an earlierstudy, the default response organizations embroiled in crises involving hostile takeovers,accidents, natural disasters, CEO retirement, rumor, and psychopathic acts, tend to adopt isqualified rhetoric-mix stance …

Final Stage Development Of The Integrated Crisis Mapping (Icm) Model In Crisis Communication: The Myth Of Low Engagement In Crisis, A. Pang, Yan Jin, Glen T. Cameron

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Extending current theories in crisis communication, the authors have developed a more systemic approach to understanding the role of emotions. The Integrated Crisis Mapping (ICM) model is based on a public-based, emotion-driven perspective where different crises are mapped on two continua, the organization’s engagement in the crisis and primary public’s coping strategy. This final-stage testing, representing the sixth in the series, found that even though organizations need not be highly engaged in crises relating to human resource, transport failure and security issues, they were galvanized to engage in action-based stance by situational factors like external threats. The fact that the …

Case Studies For Teaching Stylistics For Business Communication, Siow-Heng Ong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The employment of stylistics can influence the effectiveness of a brochure, pamphlet, press release and other forms of business communication dramatically. When we consider that the language used to formulate the texts of these publicity materials has the potential to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales, we do well to pay attention to how stylistics can be applied persuasively. This paper provides a theoretical framework for the mother of all stylistics, the metaphor. Examples of how metaphors are used to persuade are then discussed in prominent speeches and other texts. Finally, analytical and constructive assignments are posed and …

Customer Satisfaction Index Of Singapore: The Singapore Management University Subscription Report 2008, Institute Of Service Excellence, Smu

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence (2007-2024)

The Institute of Service Excellence at Singapore Management University (ISES) was appointed by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) to implement and maintain an annual benchmark for the services sector in Singapore.

The Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) was first launched in April 2008 based on data collected from a nationwide survey conducted in 2007. The CSISG is modeled after the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) developed by the University of Michigan in 1994.

In this second year, CSISG 2008 produced satisfaction indices for 88 companies from 35 sub-sectors, cutting across 8 services sectors, namely Education, Finance & Insurance …

Insults In Your Inbox, M. Thulasidas

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Email is a boon at work, but aggressive staff may use it to inflict humiliation. Most of its impact has been positive. An email from the big boss to all@yourcompany, for instance, is a fair substitute for a general communication meet- ing. In smaller teams, email often saves meetings and increases productivity.

International Venturing By Emerging Economy Firms: The Effects Of Firm Capabilities, Home Country Networks, And Corporate Entrepreneurship, Daphne W. Yiu, Chungming Lau, Garry D. Bruton

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Past literature on foreign direct investment generally supports an economics perspective that there is a direct relationship between firm-specific ownership advantages and international expansion. However, in emerging economies, with their institutional environment context characterized by low resource munificence and continuous economic liberalization, a theoretical extension of the current perspective is needed. This paper introduces new parameters by focusing on specific ownership advantages and strategic actions that firms have to develop in response to the institutional characteristics of the emerging economies when they decide to pursue outward FDI. The focus here is on international venturing that requires a firm to engage …

The Never-Ending Siege, Michael A. Netzley

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

WHILE DRIVING THROUGH Sarajevo in the fall of 2002, I had the funny feeling that something was not quite right. By normal standards, this should have felt like a good day. I was visiting Sarajevo for the first time, I had tasted chevapchichi, and I had just concluded 5 days of executive education. However, something did not feel right.

Integrated Crisis Mapping: Towards A Publics-Based, Emotion-Driven Conceptualization In Crisis Communication, Yan Jin, Augustine Pang, Glen T. Cameron

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Extending current situation-based conceptualizations of crisis response, this paper develops a more generic and systemic approach tounderstanding the role of emotions in crisis situations. Taking an integrated approach, the authors propose a public-based, emotion-drivenperspective to crisis communication modeling, mapping different crisistypes, and underpinning them with two continua, the organization’s involvement with the crisis issue and primary public’s coping strategy. Thepaper further argues that the appropriate crisis response and tools tomanage a crisis should address the full range of emotions for optimal effectiveness at both strategic and tactical levels.

Managing News In A Managed Media: Mediating The Message In Malaysiakini.Com, Augustine Pang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Widely regarded as an anomaly in the neo-authoritarian system in Malaysia, Malaysiakini.com is proving that managing an independent media in a government-managed media landscape is more than a Sisyphean struggle. Employing participant observation and interviews, supplemented by artifacts and media accounts, this study seeks to understand the media management of Malaysiakini.com through news management, using Shoemaker and Reese’s (1996) hierarchy of influence model, which posits a framework of internal and external forces that affect news management. The study found determined attempts to minimize ideological influences through media socialization by accentuating on the direct influences, such as the journalists’ role in …

Linking Brand Equity To Customer Equity, Robert P. Leone, Vithala R. Rao, Kevin Lane Keller, Anita Man Luo, Leigh Mcalister, Rajendra Kumar Srivastava

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Customer equity and brand equity are two of the most important topics to academic researchers and practitioners. As part of the 2005 Thought Leaders Conference held at the University of Connecticut, the authors were asked to review what was known and not known about the relationship between brand equity and customer equity. During their discussions, it became clear that whereas two distinct research streams have emerged and there are distinct differences, the concepts are also highly related. It also became clear that whereas the focus of both brand equity and customer equity research has been on the end consumer, there …

The Importance Of Issues Management In International Mergers And Acquisitions, Mark Chong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Issues management is the strategic use of issues analysis and strategic responses to help organizations make adaptations needed to achieve harmony and foster mutual interests within the communities in which they operate (Heath, 1997, p. 3). It seeks to build, maintain and repair relationships with an organizationÆs stakeholders by keeping surveillance for threats and opportunities in the environment that can affect success in achieving organizational mission and goals (Heath, 2002). Accordingly, organizations modify corporate policy, shape legislation or influence public opinion to synchronize themselves with the prevailing or emerging climate of public opinion and sensitivity

Integrated Crisis Mapping: Toward A Publics-Based, Emotion-Driven Conceptualization In Crisis Communication, Yan Jin, Pang, A., Glen Cameron

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Extending current situation-based conceptualizations of crisis response, this paper develops a more generic and systemic approach to understanding the role of emotions in crisis situations. Taking an integrated approach, the authors propose a public-based, emotion-driven perspective to crisis communication modeling, mapping different crisis types, and underpinning them with two continua, the organization’s involvement with the crisis issue and primary public’s coping strategy. The paper further argues that the appropriate crisis response and tools to manage a crisis should address the full range of emotions for optimal effectiveness at both strategic and tactical levels.

Do We Stand On Common Ground? A Threat Appraisal Model For Terror Alerts Issued By The Department Of Homeland Security, Augustine Pang, Jin Yan, Glen T. Cameron

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The fabric and faces of threat, and the expediency and efficiency in the communication of threat, are examined with a threat appraisal model. This model is empirically tested on an ongoing communication challenge, the issuance of terror alerts by the United States' Department of Homeland Security (DHS), focusing on how threat is appraised by both the conservative and liberal audiences. Findings showed a shared view by the DHS and conservative audiences on the levels and nature of threats; liberal audiences thought otherwise. Though there appeared to be a consensus between the conservative and liberal audiences on the efficacy of threat …

Strategic Communication In Crisis Governance: Singapore’S Management Of The Sars Crisis, Jin Yan, Augustine Pang, Glen T. Cameron

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The contingency theory of conflict management and current crisis management literature are integrated in this paper to examine how crisis has been communi-cated and managed by the Singapore government and what kinds of strategies arose during the various stages of the SARS crisis life-cycle. Findings show that the Singapore government played a predominant role in managing how its multiple publics perceived the crisis by extensive communication through the news media. The media, in turn, playing a supporting nation-building role, assisted the government's management and communication of the crisis. To effectively manage the perception and emotion of the various public, the …

National Report On Social Capital - Singapore, Wee Liang Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.

Why Is Management A Cliché?, Stefano Harney

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This article introduces the term demotics of management by asking why so much management literature reads like a cliché. Typically this question has been approached by seeing the cliché as strategic. This article instead views the cliché as symptomatic. It marks a growing problem—how can management track labor out of the workplace and into the realm of social reproduction, a realm that is increasingly, with the tendency of immaterial labor, directly productive. This problem has produced not only the explosion of popular management literature, particularly in the United States, in the last 20 years, but also what might be called …

Do We Stand On Common Ground? A Threat Appraisal Model For Terror Alerts Issued By The Department Of Homeland Security, Augustine Pang, Yan Jin, Glen T. Cameron

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Having developed a threat appraisal model to examine the fabric and faces of threat, and how it can becommunicated, the authors empirically test the model on an ongoing issue, the issuance of terror alerts bythe Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on how threat is appraised by DHS, and the conservativeand liberal audiences. Findings showed a shared view by the DHS and the conservative audiences whilethe liberal audiences thought otherwise. Though there appear to be consensus in threat communication,more internal consistency within DHS is needed to optimize its effectiveness.

Displaying Group Cohesiveness: Humour And Laughter In The Public Lectures Of Management Gurus, David Greatbatch, Timothy Adrian Robert Clark

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

As perhaps the highest profile group of management speakers in the world, so-called management gurus use their appearances on the international management lecture circuit todisseminate their ideas and to build their personal reputations with audiences of managers. This article examines the use of humour by management gurus during these public performances. Focusing on video recordings of lectures conducted by four leading management gurus (Tom Peters, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Peter Senge and Gary Hamel), the article explicates the verbal and nonverbal practices that the gurus use when they evoke audience laughter. These practices allow the gurus to project clear message completion …

Laughing With The Gurus, David Greatbatch, Timothy Adrian Robert Clark

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Management gurus are among the most influential public orators of the day. But mastery of age–old rhetorical devices, including the use of humour, is central to their effectiveness.

On The Interaction Of Alphabetic And Logographic Words With Sounds And Images, Nader T. Tavassoli, Jin K. Han

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

It is well established that reading alphabetic words is dominated by phonological (sound-based) processes, whereas phonological processes do not appear to dominate the processing of Chinese logographs, where visual processes are more pronounced (for reviews, see Tavassoli, in press; Zhou & Marslen-Wilson, 1999). Most previous demonstrations of these linguistic differences have relied on low-level processes that potentially do not involve short-term memory. For example, they have attempted to assess differences in the speed (measured in milliseconds) by which phonological and semantic information get activated in the brain. Our research adds to a growing stream of consumer behavior research that has …

Leadership In Computer-Mediated Communication: Implications And Research Directions, Gerard George, Randall G. Sleeth

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Despite the importance of interpersonal influence processes in computer-mediated communication (CMC) environments, the emergence and functioning of leaders in CMC settings remains unstudied. An initial model and propositions address the possible extension of selected leadership models beyond face-to-face (FTF) communications and into the non-face-to-face CMC environment. We (1) model relevant variables for CMC leadership, (2) briefly review the implications of selected leadership models regarding these CMC variables, and (3) extend leadership models into the CMC sphere.

Corporate Name Vs Brand Name: Demystification Of Controversy, B. C. Ghosh, Min Lie Chan, Wee Liang Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The board of directors worry about it, researchers paper it, and ad men talk about it. But few managers really know whether or not image affects the purchase of the company’s products - particularly in the consumer market” [Hardy 1970, pg. 70]. Up till today, there remains a general lack of understanding of the determinants and consequences of corporate associations, though researchers have begun to make inroads [Brown, 1997]. Addressing the above issue, the overall objective of this paper is to determine if there is any congruence between promoting consumer brand name in the FMCG industry and the retailers’ corporate …

Lee Kuan Yew And His Use Of Spatial-Orientational Metaphors, Siow Heng Ong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The Prime Minister's message to the nation after Singapore separated from Malaysia was one of consolidation and moving ahead. This was not an easy task for the speaker as the year before Singapore separated from Malaysia, the race riots had claimed 34 lives.1 These riots were even more prolonged than the Hertogh riots of 1950. Maintaining racial harmony and social integration was an uphill task. The hope for consolidation and a united sense of nationhood seemed distant.

Creating The 'Right' Impression: Towards A Dramaturgy Of Management Consultancy, Timothy Adrian Robert Clark, Graeme Salaman

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This article adopts a novel approach by examining the activities of management consultants in terms of the dramaturgical metaphor. This is a useful framework within which to illuminate their activities since a number of service characteristics combine to create a context within which the key task of management consultants is to convince clients of their quality and value. Impression management is therefore a core feature of consultancy work. In this sense management consultants are viewed as systems of persuasion creating compelling images which persuade clients of their quality and worth. This argument is illustrated with reference to the activities of …